Who was Denise Huguelet? Chicago special ed teacher, 67, shot dead in crossfire on expressway
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: A special education teacher Denise Huguelet, 67, got caught in the crossfire of a shootout and got killed on Tuesday, August 17 night. The incident took place on an expressway on Chicago’s South Side. Huguelet was shot around 10 pm on the Dan Ryan Expressway. According to reports, she was declared 'brought dead' at a local hospital. She died from a gunshot wound to her back.
Huguelet had been a special education teacher at the Evergreen Park Elementary School for 24 years. The school said in a statement, "An Evergreen Park native, she was a dear friend to many colleagues who will remember her character as pure, honest, fair and kind. She was an incredible woman whose memory will always be with us. Her passion for students and her dedication to the community showed in all aspects of her work. Mrs Huguelet’s nature with kids was kind, yet firm, to ensure that students were taught the independent skills they needed to be successful in their futures. She cared deeply about the academic needs of students and the social and emotional well-being of every students’ needs." In a similar incident an elderly woman, Yvonne Ruzich, 70 was ambushed and shot dead by two masked gunmen outside Baltimore Food and Liquors in Chicago’s South Side on August 16.
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According to police, Huguelet was a passenger in an SUV driving in the southbound lanes of the roadway when she was caught between two cars passengers shooting at each other. Police also said that another woman was grazed during the incident. Illinois state troopers chased the vehicles and arrested two people with the help of a police helicopter. The police also recovered a handgun from the car. before the suspects crashed into a trooper’s car and were immediately taken into custody. Police have not released the identities of the suspects and they have not been charged yet.
According to state police figures, there have been 156 shootings on expressways so far this year, outnumbering the 128 shootings in 2020. The Dan Ryan expressway has seen 50 shootings so far this year, which is the most of any Chicago area expressway.